Car enthusiasts and owners of luxury and high-end vehicles are continually demanding new aesthetics that justify, at least in part, the high cost of such vehicles. Vehicle grilles and other trim elements can be designed to reflect the luxury and high-end nature of particular vehicle models. For example, vehicular grilles are often fabricated with interesting shapes and design aspects, some of which may exhibit a chrome-like appearance, particular colors and/or other surface finishes. Conceivably, other ornamental features, such as jewels, incorporated within a grille or other trim element might also be of some interest to a potential buyer of a high-end vehicle.
The direct incorporation of jewels, precious metals and/or gemstones into a vehicle grille or trim element might satisfy these needs in some respects at first glance. These jewels, gemstones and precious metals might be encapsulated within a translucent grille for a luxurious aesthetic. Nevertheless, merely adding jewels, precious metals, gemstones and the like to conventional grilles and other trim elements will significantly increase the overall component cost, and all but the most cost-insensitive car enthusiasts will likely object to the significant added cost of these grilles and trim elements. In addition, the inclusion of jewels, gemstones and/or precious metals into a vehicular grille increases the likelihood that these individually valuable features will be removed by thieves as a target of relative opportunity.
Other approaches to upgrading the aesthetics of exterior vehicular elements have focused on mimicking the look of diamonds and jewels within a molded plastic part. For example, it is feasible to make faceted, plastic trim pieces, in which the facets are visible to the unaided eye, that attempt to approximate the look of actual diamonds and jewels. Unfortunately, the results of such approaches are not promising. Generally, such trim features appear to look like costume jewelry and, arguably, could detract from the overall aesthetic of a luxury vehicle rather than enhance it.
Accordingly, there is a need for exterior vehicular elements, such as grilles and trim elements (and methods of making them), that exhibit an iridescent or jewel-like appearance without a significant cost increase associated with the enhancement. In addition, these iridescent, vehicular trim assemblies should maintain their appearance over a vehicle lifetime while being exposed to a typical vehicular environment.